Remember all that chatter before the midterms about how the GOP could elect Trump Speaker of the House? Somehow Matt Gaetz was dissuaded from pursuing his pledge to give it a try. Instead, though, House Republicans elected a Trump sieve as Speaker. Yesterday, Zach Basu and Andrew Solender explained how the shadow speakership is working out for the Republicans. “Trump's allies,” they noted, “had already ensured that the central themes of his 2024 campaign— victimhood and vengeance— would permeate the House GOP's priorities. Trump's indictment has kicked that dynamic into overdrive— unnerving some vulnerable Republicans in the process.”
Unnerving? Why? Well, the latest stunt from their indicted and arranged losing ex-president was his call for the House GOP to "defund" the Justice Department and the FBI "until they come to their senses," throwing his support behind an effort championed by two extremist sociopaths, Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan and deranged QAnon queen Marjorie Traitor Greene). The Republicans seem to be adding that to their list of demands to not crash the economy and trigger a recession with their debt ceiling antics.
Basu and Solender reported that “Several of the 18 Biden-district Republicans have bristled, both in public and private, at Trump's proposal to defund federal law enforcement. ‘It's not going to happen. We have a country to run,’ Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) told Axios. A spokesman for Rep. Marc Molinaro told Axios the congressman does not support defunding the FBI or DOJ, stressing that he ‘was elected to address the issues facing Upstate NY— not to be a political pundit.’ Democrats, sensing vulnerability, have blasted out fundraising emails flipping the script on Republicans by accusing them of seeking to ‘defund the police.’” And a trio of PunchBowl reporters picked up where they left off, los talking about the 18 House Republicans who represent swing districts Biden won and the political necessity for them to create a separation between themselves and Trump— but without alienating MAGA voters.
They wrote that they wondered how those 18 members would reply to Trump’s Wednesday morning post on his pretend-Twitter platform calling of his allies in Congress to defund law enforcement. They could only get 3 to go on the record. “Dan Kranz, a spokesperson for freshman Rep. Marc Molinaro, said the New York Republican doesn’t support defunding the DOJ and FBI. Kranz added Molinaro ‘has never and isn’t going to start responding to every Tweet from other politicians, presidents, and candidates for office. He was elected to address the issues facing Upstate NY— not to be a political pundit.’ Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) simply said, ‘I don’t support defunding law enforcement.’ Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer spokesperson Aaron Britt told us the Oregon Republican doesn’t support Trump’s calls to defund the DOJ and FBI.” Refusing to respond:
John Duarte (CA)- won with 50.21% (D+7 partisan lean)
Mike Lawler (NY)- won with 50.32% (D+7 partisan lean)
David Schweikert (AZ)- won with 50.44% (R+7 partisan lean)
Brandon Williams (NY)- won with 50.49% (D+2 partisan lean)
Juan Ciscomani (AZ)- won with 50.7% (R+7 partisan lean)
Don Bacon (NE)- won with 51.3% (R+3 partisan lean)
Tom Kean (NJ)- won with 51.4% (R+3 partisan lean)
David Valadao (CA)- won with 51.5% (D+10 partisan lean)
Jen Kiggans (VA)- won with 51.7% (R+6 partisan lean)
Anthony D’Esposito (NY)- won with 51.8% (D+10 partisan lean)
Michelle Steel (CA)- won with 52.4% (D+5 partisan lean)
Mike Garcia (CA)- won with 53.2% (D+8 partisan lean)
George Santos (NY)- won with 53.8% (D+4 partisan lean)
Brian Fitzpatrick (PA)- won with 54.9% (even)
Nick LaLota (NY)- won with 55.5% (R+5 partisan lean)
The trio wrote that this is “just the latest instance where Trump’s political goals have diverged from the Republican Party’s as a whole. Trump’s efforts to push election deniers in last year’s Senate races cost Republicans a shot at the majority in that chamber. He also led Republicans to losses during the 2018 and 2020 cycles, although not as badly as some GOP lawmakers feared. The situation worsened Thursday when NBC reported that Judge Juan Merchan has received threats since Trump’s arrest. Trump has called Merchan– who is overseeing the case– ‘a Trump-hating judge.’ Rejecting Trump’s demand to defund law enforcement should be a slam dunk. Yet the silence from the majority of the vulnerable Republicans is evidence of the hold Trump still has on the party. Many of these members know that while they represent moderate districts, they’ll need to maximize GOP turnout in 2024.”